unfinished glory

Chapter 266 Difficult Elimination
A simple change by the Grizzlies has greatly increased the team's combat effectiveness and won the Thunder.

Thompson's discovery was a complete surprise. The Grizzlies originally planned to train him to succeed Battier. Now they find that he not only has Battier's defensive potential, but also has better shooting talent.Although I don't know how high he can achieve in the future, at least he is a powerful supplement for the current Grizzlies.

In the fourth game, they continued to form this lineup, and the Thunder did not choose to change their lineup. They still put Harden on the bench to increase their offensive firepower.

The coaching staff of the Thunder analyzed the reason for the failure of the last game, not only because of the increase of the Grizzlies' outside firepower, but more because of the chain reaction caused by it.

The main thing is that the Gasol brothers opened up in the paint and became the winner of the game.

The inside defense should be the strength of the Thunder. Perkins' height and weight are there, like a wall, which can bring great pressure to the opponent on defense.Ibaka's physical fitness is very good, and his ability to assist defense and block shots is very good.

The reason why the Grizzlies failed to defend against the Grizzlies' inside offense in the last game was because their defense was a bit isolated, focusing too much on one-on-one and ignoring linkage.

After the start of the game, the Thunder's attention paid off. The inside defense caused the Gasol brothers to fail several times, and they had to completely shift their offense to the outside.

Thompson's outburst in the last game also had some factors that his opponents didn't pay attention to, but he was a rookie after all. After Durant took care of him personally, his offensive ability could not be displayed and he became silent.

The center of gravity of the offense mostly fell on Li Chongxiao. Fortunately, he was used to this situation, took up the banner of offense, and helped the Grizzlies get a 3-point lead in the first quarter.

The Grizzlies' lead is due to Li Chongxiao's efficiency on the one hand, and the Thunder's poor offense on the other.

Li Chongxiao directly faced Durant at the beginning of the game, taking strict precautions to prevent him from breaking out in the first quarter.The Grizzlies also did a good job of limiting Westbrook. Thompson misplaced the defense and used his height to limit opponents' shots.

Brooks had to replace Harden a little earlier and rotate three offensive points to keep up with Li Chongxiao's one-man offense.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Li Chongxiao took a rest, and the Thunder took the opportunity to overtake the score with the three cooperation of Durant and Harden.

The Grizzlies also discovered a problem in the game. It wasn't long before the start of the second quarter. After the Grizzlies' other offensive points were locked, it was difficult for the Grizzlies to persist until the end relying on Li Chongxiao alone.

Just when Carlisle was thinking about how to break this backward situation, the Thunder's third junior team broke out habitually, and a wave of offensive climax opened up a lot of points.

Li Chongxiao was still the main force of the Grizzlies offense in the second quarter, but he did not get enough support from his teammates, which is also the reason why the team fell behind.

This made Carlisle a little worried. If the player is still in this state in the second half, then the Thunder will definitely double-team Li Chongxiao even more.

The way to break the game is also very simple. You don't need other players to play very well, as long as you can play at a normal level, but obviously this game is hopeless.

Thompson was a rookie after all, and he didn't have that much experience to deal with it after being targeted, so Battier was replaced later.

The Gasol brothers faced the Thunder's insiders who had been beaten up, and they didn't cheer up after being sluggish.The two teamed up to score 47 points in the last game, and only 28 points remained in this game.

The Thunder scored a victory at home to tie the score at 2:2.

……

After the fourth battle, both sides have brought out everything they can. Basically, there are no secrets, and the next game can only be head-to-head.

After the baptism of two championships, the Grizzlies are not afraid of any tough opponents at all.What worries them is always the internal state.

Since the playoffs, Gasol's state has been relatively average, with few outbreaks but many troughs.And Gasol played a little impatiently.

This team and teammates know why.This is the fourth year of Gasol's rookie contract, and this season is over.The contract renewal negotiations between him and the Grizzlies were not ideal, and it was difficult for the two sides to reach an agreement on the price.

Gasol Jr. is the core of the inside defense in the Grizzlies, but the statistics are not very good, and the All-Star was also lost, so he is eager to perform in the playoffs to show his worth.

There is no way for Li Chongxiao to intervene in this kind of contract matter. His contract is also in the fourth year, and he is also negotiating with the Grizzlies to renew his contract.Unless he is stupid, it must be the maximum salary, and he cannot make money by himself, but ask his teammates to cut their salaries.

One is united, one is concerned, and the fifth game reached the third quarter, and the Grizzlies trailed by 12 points at home.

The situation of the game was not on the side of the Grizzlies. Seeing that they might lose the battle of Tianwangshan, the situation changed in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder paid for their youth.Thunder's third young master didn't know how to restrain himself when he was playing well. First, Durant was eager for success, but when he thought about killing the game, he missed several shots under Li Chongxiao's defense, but Li Chongxiao seized the opportunity to tie.

Then it was Westbrook's turn again. Seeing the score tied, he hurriedly wanted to overtake again, allowing Li Chongxiao to calmly expand his advantage.

The Grizzlies got a fluke victory at home and went to Oklahoma to play away.

……

In the sixth game, the Thunder became more stable, but the Grizzlies became wild.

From the very beginning of the game, Li Chongxiao frantically attacked the basket. He changed the situation where he shot mostly at the beginning and kept breaking through.

The Thunder were caught off guard and allowed him to drive into the paint several times in the first quarter, causing Perkins to foul twice.

Knocking out the last line of defense of the Thunder, the Gasol brothers were liberated, and Gasol Jr. scored 6 points in a row at the end of the quarter, widening the point difference to 10 points.

In the second quarter, the Thunder regained their composure a little bit, but there was a corner missing inside, so they could only use offense instead of defense, barely holding their ground.

At the beginning of the second half, Perkins got his fourth personal foul and had to go to the bench again, watching the fully opened Gasol brothers score consecutively.

In the second half of the last quarter, Li Chongxiao broke out with all his strength, maintaining the Grizzlies' lead of about 15 points until the end.

In a difficult series, the Grizzlies eliminated the young Thunder 4:2.

This round of the series has allowed people to re-understand the Thunder's three young men. They are no longer regarded as rookies, but star players who can really carry a team.

Durant averaged 33 points per game, showing the demeanor of a super scorer.Westbrook has 23 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6 assists, an all-around point guard.Only Harden's performance was a little bit worse, but it was enough when he was defended by Li Chongxiao, and he was not at all afraid of facing others.

Unlike the Thunder's wide acclaim, the winning Grizzlies have received a lot of criticism.Pundits think they and the Thunder are both inked for six games and are no longer dominant.

In contrast, the Lakers easily won the Spurs 4:1, which is the team most likely to win the championship.

　Something has been delayed for a long time.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)